I want to create a bit of shade in my tank... what plants can grow by just floating at the surface? The Wisteria I have meets my demands, but it's messy.
Floating plants
- Thread starter maronov
- Start date
I found a few myself browsing around Aquabid. Salvinia oblongfolia and Salvinia minima (Water spangles) are both nice rhizome-based plants with small leaves but also small roots. Amazon frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum) has larger leaves but also long roots which I find very unattractive. All are very fast growers and need to be controlled.
Floating plants are quick growers because they have access to nutrients and CO2 that are in the air, where submerged plants don't (unless and until they are emergent). Unfortunately for those that don't like the look of their roots, they have, well, roots. I happen to like the look of my duckweed roots below the water surface as it looks like it helps complete a green frame around my tank, and the light that shines through the plants/roots is green tinted. I was going to suggest water lettuce, but their roots are pretty long.
You can float anacharis, and hornwort, or you could let plants like Vals, anacharis, swords grow to the top and provide shade as they curve on the surface.
Here is a view of my tank looking up toward the duckweed:
And here is one from the front to show what a full cover of duckweed looks like:
You can float anacharis, and hornwort, or you could let plants like Vals, anacharis, swords grow to the top and provide shade as they curve on the surface.
Here is a view of my tank looking up toward the duckweed:
And here is one from the front to show what a full cover of duckweed looks like:
Oh, and for what it's worth, fish seem to love the added security of the floating plants. Although they (floating plants) are a pain when getting your elbows wet.
